Top Administrators' Salaries Up 2%

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The salaries of senior administrators increased by 2 percent in 2011, according to a study being released today by the College and University Professional Association for Human Resources. As has been the case in recent years, median raises were larger at private institutions (2.5 percent) than at publics (1.5 percent).

The 2 percent gain over all compares favorably to the 2010 increase of 1.4 percent, and of no increase at all the year before.

But the increase in the Consumer Price Index in 2011 was 3.2 percent -- double the increase of 2010. So while many administrators at private colleges and universities saw their spending power increase in 2010, relatively few of them (and very few public college administrators) are feeling such gains from their 2011 raises.

Within various administrative categories, athletics positions saw the largest raises.

Median Salary Increases in 2011 for Senior Administrators, by Category

Category

All

Public

Private

Senior executives

2.0%

1.1%

2.6%

Deans

2.0%

1.5%

2.4%

Associate deans

2.0%

1.5%

2.8%

Academic affairs

2.0%

1.5%

2.3%

Business, HR and IT

2.1%

1.8%

2.5%

Athletics

2.3%

2.0%

2.5%

Student affairs

2.0%

1.5%

2.3%

Academic affairs

1.2%

1.2%

2.2%

The data released by CUPA-HR show the wide variation in administrative salaries, both by sector and by specialization. For instance, the median salary for a president/CEO of a single campus was $392,150 at doctoral institutions in 2011, but less than half of that at community colleges ($170,157). Among deans, medicine is the most lucrative field (median salary of $474,212), while divinity deans are on the other end of the pay scale ($90,000).

CUPA-HR releases summary data (see below, and an * indicating insufficient number of institutions reporting). Full reports may be ordered from the association.